Dreamtime Hope
by Raen
Summary: A story about Dreams that are more than dreams, about Bra finding a courage she never knew she had, and about (Mirai) Trunks finding the will to hang on to life when all Hope seems lost...
1. Default Chapter

The idea of this story came to me some time in 3rd or forth form, as i was walking to a freinds house, it jumped out at me, and i guess its been camping in my mind ever since (I'm 6th form now) uhhh ok its Mirai Trunks and Normal timeline Bra, and the Dream is somewhere between realities, so if their ages are completely bung and different each time (like if Bra ages three years and Trunks doesn't) that not me doing it, its the Dream, oh well you'll see...  
  
   
  
   
  
Disclaimer: I am not Akira Toriama, therefore I do not own dbz, I do own the pool though, and its guardians, and i know what i wish i owned... (today, its a dvd player, so that i can watch my history of Trunks dvd hehehe)  
  
1 Dreamtime Hope  
  
Mirai Timeline  
  
Trunks, age 13  
  
He guessed he'd had the Dream all his life. Sometimes, as he trained with Gohan, he would get flashes of a pool, and trees surrounding it, but dismissed them as mere memories of a dream, which is what they were, sort of.  
  
The first time he remembered the Dream clearly was the night after the battle at the amusement park, the battle at which Gohan lost his arm. He thought, that night, that he would never get to sleep, he felt so guilty, so useless, and so incredibly angry at the androids. Sometime that night, as the stars made their way round the earth, he knew he must have fallen asleep, because suddenly he was sitting by a pond, no, a pool. The waters were raging in a whirlpool like fashion, as if some tiny yet powerful creature was in the centre of the pool, sucking all the water into the middle, and then spitting it out again in all directions with amazing force. Trunks just sat there, watching the pool, until, after hours, they began to calm down, now they just sloshed messily, against the mossy rocks that surrounded the water.  
  
He had woken at dawn that morning, as he did every morning, feeling something that he hadn't felt for a long time: happy, just mindlessly happy. The feeling only lasted a few moments, before the memory of the day before caught up to him, and he rushed downstairs to see if Gohan was alright.   
  
Normal Timeline  
  
Bra, age 3  
  
"Good night sweetheart"  
  
"G'night kaasan, G'night otusan"  
  
There was a grunt from Vegitas general direction, but it was in some way an affectionate grunt, and Bra took it to mean "Sweet Dreams B-chan" which he would have said if Goten hadn't been staying over, and could possibly over hear something and report it back to Goku, or worse, Trunks, who would never let him hear the end of it.  
  
Bra sighed in that happy way that only a three year old can, snuggled up under her blankets, and fell into a sweet sleep.  
  
Sometime during the night, among the random dreams one always has, she found herself by a small pool. Bra pushed her way through overhanging fern leaves and tried to avoid stepping on wild flowers. The water of the pool was rough, as the ocean might be on a harsh winters day, but as she approached the waters calmed, and she could see someone sitting on a moss covered rock by the waters edge. Instantly she recognised him as her brother Trunks, but he looked younger by at least three of four years.  
  
"Twunks?" she cautioned, just to make sure that it was him. He looked up in surprise, obviously not expecting anyone, least of all a small girlchild.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to one side with a look of confusion on his face.  
  
Bra looked hurt and backed of, she could sense something about him, he wasn't her brother, at least, not the one in the room down the hall, plotting with Goten, in whispered voices, how next to embarrass his father. "Don't you rem'mber me?" she asked,  
  
"I'm sorry, should I?"  
  
"Y's, I'm---" But at that moment she woke up, face down on the floor. The light in the long Capsule Corp hall was off, which meant that her parents were asleep. Bra pushed herself up from the floor, and tottered down to Trunks room. The door was closed, and she had to jump a few times to reach the door handle, it creaked open and she tiptoed into the dark room, making her way towards the darker shape she knew to be Trunks bed. Suddenly, for the second time that night, she found herself face down on the floor. The object she had tripped over rolled onto its back, murmuring something about donuts. Picking herself up again, she manager to make the journey to Trunks bed easily enough, and began to poke him in the arm, "wake up Twunks" she said firmly. Trunks rolled over. Bra stuck out her bottom lip, a sure sign that she was either going to cry, or was thinking hard, in this case, she was thinking hard. She smirked, Vegita style, and tottered out of the room, once more tripping over Goten, who this time murmured something about cheesecake, before making her way out into the hallway and waddling down the stairs. She found what she was looking for: a fork, and clambered back up them again. Managing to avoid Goten this time (apart from standing once in his hair) she poked the fork into Trunks's upper arm with all her 3 year old half sayajin strength.  
  
"AAAAHHHHHHH!!! Owwww! Man Bra what do you think your doing?!?"  
  
Bra beamed "You do r'member me"  
  
"I'm not likely to forget all the wonderful ways you've woken me up in the past three years that's for sure" Trunks muttered sarcastically, rubbing his arm. Bra grinned at him and pulled herself up onto his bed.  
  
"Oh no you don't. Sleep in your own bed Bra" said Trunks, Bra made a face, and waited till he rolled over again before crawling onto the air mattress with Goten, who was, most surprisingly, still asleep.  
  
  
  
OK does everyone get it, and can you review, its makes me feel all warm and bubbly inside, knowing people read my stories, even if they don't like them. 


	2. Dream

1 Ok chapter two, cac't think of anything to say here so onto the story  
  
2 Disclaimer: Don't own it etc etc  
  
3  
  
4  
  
5 Â In the Dream  
  
Trunks (mirai) age 13, Bra age 6  
  
Bra was the first to arrive at the Dreampool, and Trunks saw her before she saw him. She was peering into the water, which was the calmest Trunks had ever seen it. "Hi Trunks" she greeted when she saw him push him way through the ferns. He stopped. "How do you know my name?"  
  
"Duuhh, most people know their own brothers name"  
  
"I don't have a sister"  
  
"Well I have a brother, and he looks just like you, 'cept a little older"  
  
Trunks thought for a moment "I don't think I'm him"  
  
"Oh" Bra was stumped, but not for long, she plucked a pale pink flower from the ground near her feet, and twirled it around in her fingers  
  
*Did I have this dream last week?* Trunks thought to himself, though last time the girl had been younger, although she did seem to recognise him that time too.  
  
"You know, that was real funny what you did to otusan at the party" Bra started up again,  
  
"uhh, what was that?"  
  
"y'know, you and Goten and the whole chocolate pudding thing"  
  
Trunks let out a small laugh  
  
"...and then the peas, haha, and his nose hahaha" Bra continued, all sorts of strange mental pictures came to Trunks head  
  
"Is your father Vegita too?"  
  
Bra nodded "...and the fork haha stuck in his hair haha". Her face turned serious all of a sudden, "you two are sooooooo dead when he wakes up"  
  
*This is so strange* thought Trunks, *why does she think I'm her brother?* He looked over at her again,Â as she threaded a string of yellow flowers together a flicker of recognition crossed his face. *She, she looks like Kaasan, and says Vegita is her father. What is going on here?*  
  
Bra inspected her flower chain for a moment, then, deciding it was perfect, looped it round Trunks wrist "It's yellow, for happiness, you look kinda sad", she said, tying the two ends together and smiling up at him. She yawned once, and vanished, then, a second later, Trunks woke up too.   
  
By the Pool  
  
Two figures stood by the pool. One, a female, dressed in aÂ white sleeveless dress with green vines encircling her waist and wrists, kneeled down by the pool to make small circles in it with a long, delicate finger. Three fully flowered Lilly pads appeared as her finger left the water. She straightened up and spoke to her companion.  
  
"Poor Trunks, he doesn't understand, and you know his confusion could seep into his woken life. The earth can't afford him not having his entire mind set on training and the androids"  
  
The other figure, a male, was dressed in brown leggings with a dark green cloak over his bare shoulder, falling in deep folds to his ankles. Around his waist he had a belt of think leather, a well crafted handle of a dagger showed above the sheath that held it, it was just for show, he would never, could never, kill anything. He nodded. "But it must be done, you know that as well as I''  
  
"How canÂ I not? We are one and the same. I just wonder sometimes if this is the right thing to do, Trunks needs all his energy, and its takes energy to come here".  
  
"Don't wonder, don't worry. It is done now. It is up to them now."  
  
The female nodded, disguising a sigh ""Yes. It is up to them now".  
  
[pic] 


	3. Death and Decision

Disclaimer: Don't own dbz, might one day (yeah, I wish!) but don't at the moment  
  
_The Dream  
  
Trunks age 14_  
  
Trunks blinked, bringing into focus the bases of trees around him. He recognised where he was almost instantly, but it took him a little longer to realised why he was here, in the forest around the pool, but when he did, he wished he hadn't.  
  
"No. Gohan no! You're not strong enough to beat them!" He jumped up, panicking. Moments before he had been overlooking the city with Gohan, now he was here. "Gohaaaaaaaaaaan!!!" He yelled to the sky, or rather, to the luscious green canopy of the trees. He ran, trying desperately to find a way out of this place, he ran straight ahead, arriving at the pool in a matter of seconds, and flying straight over it. Moments of crashing through the bush -breaking branches that grew back instantly- later, and he arrived at the pool again *dammit! I'm just going round in circles!* He thought "NO! NO! NO! Let me out! Let me out!!!!" He screamed to anyone who was listening, anyone who could help him.  
  
No-one answered.  
  
Trunks clenched his fists and closed his eyes. *Wake up Trunks!* He pleaded with himself. *Please wake up, wake up, wake up. Wake up before its too late. Too late for Gohan.*   
  
_Mirai Timeline  
  
Trunks age 14  
_  
He blinked, and his eyes came into focus with rock, red brown rock. *It worked! I'm awake!* His feeling of victory was very short lived, and vanished when he realised something that made him glad he wasn't standing up "I can't feel Gohan's ki," he whispered, then took off towards the large crater that was, when he last looked, a city.  
  
"Just because I can't feel his ki, doesn't mean he's, he's... He might be still alive, please Gohan, be still alive". The rain, big, wet, cold raindrops, plastered his hair to his head, his clothes to his back.  
  
"Go-" he croaked, then, louder "GOHAAAAAN-SAN!!!" His voice echoed in the air around him "GOHAAAAN-SAAAAAN!!!!!!!" Trunks flew slowly, peering down through the rain for any signs of Gohan, or -he hoped, though doubted- destroyed androids.  
  
Lightning lit up the ground beneath him, his stomach flipped as he saw something under him. Trunks landed, and slowly, walked towards Gohans body, denying the obvious "Gohan- san, no, no, please, not Gohan, please not Gohan"  
  
Rain blended with the tears on Trunks young face, his fists clenched so hard that his nails broke the skin, and blood dripped into the puddle at his feet, mixing with rain water and his best friends blood.  
  
He ran the last few feet to Gohan, his face pale and half submerged in a puddle that was more blood then water. "GOHAN!!! GOHAN!!!!!" Trunks cried, drawing out the A's to create a despairingly sorrowful cry. He knelt next to his best friend, and cradled his dark head in his arms "GOHAAAAN!!! GOHAAAN!!!!!" Trunks shook his head madly "No! No! No! NOOOOO!!!" He yelled to the blackened sky, empty but for the falling raindrops.  
  
Something snapped inside him, and the power of a super sayajin flowed through his veins, no longer dormant. But too late.  
  
It came too late to save Gohan, too late.  
  
He smashed his fists against the bloody ground.  
  
Too late.   
  
_Normal timeline  
  
Bra age 13_  
  
The party had been fun, her mother's always were, because Pan always came and they could find a place in the room to talk and giggle and watch the fun uncurl as Vegita got drunk. No-one was as funny to watch as a drunken Vegita, except when Krillen was there too and they started singing or errr, dancing.  
  
It wasn't even eleven yet, but Bra felt her eyelids getting heavy, she tried to stifle a yawn, and thought *I can't go to sleep now, Vegita's only just arrived*. Nevertheless she yawned again, and rested her head on Pans shoulder, within seconds, she was asleep.   
_  
The Dream_  
  
She was further from the pool than she had even been before, somewhere deep in the wild bush. To her right she could hear the waters though, and the angry sound it was making unnerved her, growing louder and more violent as she drew closer.  
  
"Trunks." She gasped, as the pool came into sight. He was being bashed around in the pool, huge waves picking up his body and hurtling it towards the rocks, then catching him half a moment before he hit them, and throwing him towards the opposite side, dragging him under. Without thought for her own safety she jumped in and tried to grab him. As she touched the waters emotions or anger, pain and loss hit her, hit her so hard she cried out, gaining a lungful of water, that just made the emotions stronger. His shoulder banged up against hers and she grabbed it, digging her fingers into his arm, then attached her other arm onto a rock, and pulled both of them out of the water. Both brother and sister coughed up a fair amount of water, and gasped for breath. Bra pushed her wet blue hair away from her face, and -after realising she was still wearing her party dress- was glad she had chosen the red one, and not the white. Trunks was lying on his side, shaking. He looked so small when he was wet, his blue and white Capsule Corp shirt stuck to his chest and his hair, like hers, was plastered to his head. Slowly, he rolled onto his back. "Bra?" He asked uncertainly as he saw her.  
  
Bra half smiled "Who else?" Then, reading his face, she asked "Trunks-kun? Are you alright?"  
  
There was no response from Trunks, "Trunks?" She asked again. He shook his head slowly  
  
"Gohan" he whispered, "he, he" Trunks had trouble finishing his sentence, but Bra could see in his eyes what had happened. "Oh Trunks," she said helplessly, pulling him into a sitting position and hugging him, trying to think of something, anything to say to ease the pain.  
  
"Damn androids." She heard him mutter under his still rapid breath.  
  
It came to her suddenly, not something she could say, but something she could do. "Trunks, try and be strong, I think I know someway I can help you, or help your world." She said, with the same purposeful expression she had worn on her face the night, ten years ago, when she had gone downstairs to find a fork to wake her other brother with.  
  
"How?" He asked, as he tried to stop himself shaking, but failed  
  
Bra felt herself fading from the Dream, "Don't worry, just be strong." she called as she disappeared from Trunks view. He shivered again, and sank back down to the ground.   
  
  



	4. Bra's Plan

Normal Timeline- Capsule corp. lounge 

  
  
Bra woke up slumped over the arm of the couch. Pan was looking at her with raised eyebrows, "you're all wet." She accused. "Are you alright?" 

Bra sat up and muttered a "ye" half yes noise, and bolted up to her room. She squeezed the water out of her hair and into a cup by her bed, then pulled all her clothes out of her drawers, dumped them on the bed and began sorting vigorously through them, then, not being able to decide, enclosed them all in a capsule, which she slipped in her pocket. She pulled her bottom draw open and pulled out a wad of paper, and began scribbling down a note without planning what she was going to write, only to tell them…To tell them:  
_  
  
Otousan, Kaasan, I can't explain now, but this is something I have to do. I will return as soon as I can, please don't worry about me. Remember, I am half Sayajin, I........._  
  
"So Bra, whatcha doing?"  
  
Bra froze, Pan leaned over her shoulder and read the note, "hmmmm, suspicious. If I didn't know better I'd say you were running away". She opened one of Bras drawers "empty". She looked at Bra with mock hurt in her eyes. "You weren't planning on running away without me, were you?"  
  
"Pan I-"  
  
"How come? Where are you going?"  
  
"Pan it's too hard to explain."  
  
"I've been your best friend for 12 years and you're running away without even telling my why, I think I deserve an explanation."  
  
"Fine. Sit down."  
  
Pan sat down on the bed, Bra thought for a moment of where to start, "For a long time, since I was….I'm not sure, very young, three? Possibly. I have been having this dream…" Bra explanation went on for quite a long time as she attempted to explain everything "... I _know_ it's real, just now at the party when I fell asleep I dreamed it, Trunks, not my brother, a different one, was there. He was in the pool, and the waters were attempting to drown him or something, I had to pull him out and that's how I got all wet. So I have to go find the Dragon balls now, I can't Dream like that again, it was too, too strong, I have to do something to help him, and I can't tell anyone, they'd just think it was a silly dream" Bra finished, looking at Pan to see if she believed her.  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Pan, after a long pause of thought  
  
"Yes. I've never been more sure of anything, look at me, how else could I get so wet, and the water in the cup, that's water from the pool". Bra said, waving her hand to indicate the cup by her bed. Pan picked it up, watching the light reflect off the water, which shone with much radiance, must more than normal water. "You said when you got a mouthful, you felt all these emotions?" Pan didn't wait for Bra's answer, and took a quick sip out of the cup, and dropped to the ground in a dead faint.  
  
  
_  
 ~*~By the Dream pool~*~_  
  
Pan sat up and rubbed her head "Wha..." She said, as she gaped open mouthed at the trees surrounding her and the green glass like pool she sat by *_It's real! Oh man, it's honestly real_* she thought, then blinked as a man appeared, hovering half an inch above the water. The same radiant water as that she has tasted.   
  
"What are you doing here? This place was not meant for you."  
  
Pan swallowed, she didn't think a sarcastic tone would go down well with this (extremely good looking, she had to admit) stranger. "Sorry, I didn't believe Bra, so I drank some of the water."  
  
"You drank the water? And it brought you here?"  
  
"That's what I said." Pan replied, watching the stranger curiously.  
  
"It has a mind of Its own now, It must have a reason." He said in a low voice, almost to himself, then looked down at Pan. "Tell me, are you good friends with Bra?"  
  
"She's my best friend, I'd do anything for her." She said honestly.  
  
"Good, you can do something for me?"  
  
"I guess." This time her reply was more wary, she did not agree to do favour for strangers just like that.  
  
"Look after her, I know what she's planning to do. Don't let her fail."  
  
"I wasn't planning to." Ah, this was alright then. Looking after Bra was her specialty.  
  
He gave her a nod, but his eyes were too distracted for an encouraging smile.  "Good luck."  And with that, he was gone.  
  
  
  
_~*~Normal timeline. Bra's room~*~_  
  
Pan sat up "Wooaah" She breathed, rather dazed.  
  
"What happened? What happened?!?" asked Bra almost hysterically, eyes wide in anxiety at her friend's sudden collapse. She knelt on the floor by Pan, looking down at her face.  
  
"Well, I saw the pool." Pan seemed alright, Bra pulled her to her feet and they both sat on the bed.  
  
"Was Trunks there?''  
  
"No, some other guy, really cute, long green cloak, nice chest."  
  
"I've never seen anyone other than Trunks there. Anyway, at least now I won't leave you thinking I was liar."

"Or mad" Pan said, laughter on her voice.

 At that moment the door opened, the girls looked up from their spot on the bed. Goten stuck his head through the door, looking incredibly sneaky. "Hey girls, just warning ya, don't drink the punch. Not unless you 'want' to sleep till midafternoon tomorrow." He had a devious version of his Goku grin plastered all over his face. Pan laughed, "okay, thanks." Goten disappeared down the hall.  
  
"Heh heh, I wonder what they laced it with this time." Pan said, as she stood up. "And what do you mean? Not leaving with me thinking you're a liar, who said your leaving me?"  
  
"Pan I thought you understood, I _have_ to go."  
  
"I'm coming too." Pan put her hands on her hip stubbornly, looking just like Chichi. "When are we leaving?"  
  
Bra tried her Vegita scowl, but it softened when she looked at Pan "don't give me that look, that's your, I'm-right-and-you-know-it look. We'll be gone a long time, you know."  
  
"I know." said Pan  
  
"You're parents will kill you."  
  
"I know, but they'd kill me more if I let you go alone."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts, I have more experience that you, I did the whole universe tour thing, now, show me what you've packed and tell me when you're going."  
  
"Tonight, as soon as everyone's asleep. And thanks to Trunks and Goten's punch, that shouldn't be long" Bra opened her capsule of clothes, Pan looked at them with a raised eyebrow "Well I'm glad I'm here, were you only gonna take clothes?"  
  
"Money too."  
  
Pan sighed. "You need me. Sort out your warmest clothes, some durable travelling ones, money and the dragonball radar. I'll fly home and sort out mine, plus I'll get food and everything, I'll meet you at the park in an hour, is that okay?"  
  
Bra nodded, and watched as Pan flew out the window, then got back to organising her clothes.  
  
  
  
  
_  
~*~next chapter "something's wrong with Trunks"…… ~*~_


	5. The attic, the drinking game, and Trunks

OK chapter 5 (wow this is the longest fic ive ever typed up) cant think of anything to say here so on with the story  
  
Disclaimer: i don't own dbz  
  
  
  
Mirai Timeline  
  
Trunks age 14 (the day after Bra saved him from the pool)  
  
   
  
"Trunks" Bulmas voice echoed down the hallway, she stuck her head in the door. "I'm going over to Chichi's, I have to give her the bad news about Gohan, honey, do you feel like coming?" Trunks's room was dark, sunlight being blocked by thick black curtains, it was like a war time blackout. Trunks rolled over and groaned.  
  
"Okay then, I'll be back for tea, make sure you eat something before then though, you need to keep you strength up," she moved closer to her sons bed and ruffled his hair "I know you're grieving honey, I know its hard". Trunks just moaned again, so Bulma left him in peace, and closed the door gently behind her.  
  
***************  
  
Trunks moved, slowly, towards the door where the smallest trickle of light was coming through, something was weighing him down, as if forcing him to the floor. His eyelids felt so, so heavy, his face and body were wet from the pool or from sweat, he could tell, it wasn't a nice feeling anyhow. He needed a shower, desperately, a long icy cold one. Halfway across his room a massive pain seemed to smash against his ribs from the inside, stealing his breath from him. Moaning in pain he collapsed to his knees, arms pressed against his chest and his thighs as his forehead rested against the soft carpet of his floor. *Moving was NOT a good idea* he thought, *maybe I should just go back to sleep*. Which he did, in the middle of his floor, where Bulma found him that evening.  
  
   
  
******************  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
   
  
 "There's one here" whispered Pan to Bra, as they crouched out of sight behind a park bench, examining the Dragon radar "right here in the city". She pushed the little side button marked 'map' and raised her eyebrows at what she saw "It looks like its at Capsule corp., yes it is"  
  
"Otusan's probably got it, I don't think he ever gave up on that immortality wish of his, dammit, that means we have to go back" Bra sighed "at least they'll all be asleep by now, thanks to Trunks and Goten." She swung her school bag over her shoulders, filled almost to the top with capsules containing everything they might need during their journey, "well come on" she said to Pan, who brushed a dead leaf and a couple of beetles of her legs.  
  
"Hai, lets go back" agreed Pan  
  
*******************************  
  
Sneaking in was easy enough, everyone was piled on top of each other in sleep, and an orchestra of snores arose, ranging from "ZZZZZZZZ ppffffff" to "haaaaaa, snort, haaaaa SNOOOORT". Finding the actual Dragonball was harder, Pan was certain it was hidden somewhere in the attic, and Bra, knowing Pan was the expert on the radar (well, more of an expert that herself) didn't doubt her. The attic of Capsule Corp was huge, dark and dusty, piled wall to wall with boxes of old toys, misguided attempts at inventions by Dr Breifs, and very old baby pictures that Bra made a mental note to remember and use as blackmail one day.   
  
"The dust is thinner over here" whispered Pan, as she pushed a couple of boxes aside, peering at the writing scrawled across the front "Blueprints for flying lunch trays, what?" She shook her head, then placed her hand on something round. "Hey Bra, shine that torch over here"  
  
It was a croquet ball, there were dozens of them "who in your family plays croquet?" asked Pan, Bra shrugged, then noticed something  
  
"Over there, under the rag pile, something shiny" she crawled towards it "Yes, this is it!" she cried, standing up triumphantly with the Dragonball in her hand "The Three star, Come on lets go"  
  
As they made their way back to the trapdoor over the hall, a huge black spider fell onto Bra arm and she jumped backwards in shock, knocking over a massive pile of newspapers and magazines, that threatened to fall, then fell. Bra leaped down the trapdoor, followed by Pan, who executed a perfect swan dive, and landed in a crouching position on the floor. Newspaper toppled out after them, making a giant, BOOOOM CRUNCH THUDD DDD DD" and "poof": as a few stuffed toys landed on top. Bra and Pan scarpered off down the hall and out the nearest window.  
  
Downstairs, Trunks and Goten were playing a drinking game  
  
"Bekato" Said Goten, lips attempting to cover his teeth, and failing,  
  
"I saw your teeth, you drink" Laughed Trunks, "okay my turn, umm Tamanda"  
  
"what was that?"  
  
"Charmander"  
  
"No, that noise"  
  
"what noise"  
  
"Oh well, my go, uhh, "wartorkle"  
  
"saw your teeth, drink again"  
  
"Dammit"  
  
*************************************  
  
Future Timeline  
  
Trunks woke up in the sick bay section of Capsule Corp. He groaned and tried to shield his eyes from the light, but the movement of his arm made him dizzy. Bulma moved from her desk at her sons movement, and peered down at him. "Trunks, how do you feel?"  
  
Trunks looked up at three faces that looked suspiciously like his mother, "Ow" he whispered, his head throbbed with pain. Three hands brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, Trunks was glad he was lying down, the movement of the hands was too dizzying and he was sure he would have fallen over had he not been in bed. Keeping his eyes shut, he asked his mother "What's wrong with me?"  
  
"Don't worry honey, I called a doctor. I found you in your room last night, you sounded like you were talking to someone, and you looked in so much pain. Are you sure the androids didn't do anything to you?"  
  
Trunks shock his head, then sincerely regretted it, the room was shaking for hours after woulds. Then he remembered the androids, and Gohan, how could he had forgotten? Trunks moaned again, this time from grief, and didn't say anything more.  
  
*********************************  
  
Reveiws? Anyone? 


	6. Rain, rain and more rain

I'm back! I had a severe case of writers block with a secondary case of calculus homework, that kinda warped my creativity, thanks sooo much for the good reviews people!!! It made me feel a lot better. OK on with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: still don't own it  
  
**************  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
6 months later  
  
"I-I'm soooo c-cold"  Shivered Bra  
  
"A-a-a-and w-wet!" Added Pan, having to shout for Bra to be able to hear her, it was incredibly windy.  
  
"A-and w-wet" agreed Bra, shaking her head so that raindrops flew out of her hair, but were instantly replaced by new, thick, fat ones. Six months and five dragonballs after leaving home, and they were somewhere in the southern hemisphere. The girls didn't exactly know, because they didn't have passports so could not use the public airlines, Bra and Pan had to learn very quickly how to fly their own Capsule Corp. plane. They were now somewhere in a very condensed forest, in the middle of monsoon season, with no room among the trees to open the Capsule house.  
  
Pan swept her hand over her face, pulling the hair that was plastered to her face away from her eyes, so she could see the dragon radar.  
  
"South, three miles" She shouted through the rain  
  
"Three miles!?!"  
  
"Yeah, maybe the trees will thin out later, maybe we'll find shelter, one things for sure, we cant stay here, I'm drowning even trying to breathe!"  
  
"'Same here! Keep moving"  
  
Arms round each others shoulders and heads bent forward against the raging wind and icy rain they pressed their way forward, one slow step at a time. The rainstorm had begun just minutes ago, but both had been soaked to the skin within seconds, the rain was that hard. In a lighter rain they would have kept dry, as the rain wouldn't have been able to penetrate the thick canopy of leaves above them, but now the trees added to the fatness of the drops, so they were heavier as well. Raincoats made hearing even more difficult, as the rain against their plastic hood blocked out any other sound. It took over an hour to travel two miles, where they came to the foot of a massive cliff, the ground was rather uneven, covered in rocks and shrubs, but it was not so uneven that it was impossible to open the capsule house. Bra pulled it out of her coat pocket and threw it to the ground, where it opened with an almighty BUNNN!!! Which was barely audible over the rain. The two young teenagers hurried inside, and peeled off their sodden clothes, Bra disappeared into the bathroom for a hot shower, and Pan wrapped herself in an electric blanket.  
  
"What shall we make for tea?" Asked Bra after they had dried off and warmed up  
  
Pan shrugged "Dunno, nothing special though, I don't have the energy to cook"  
  
"Pasta okay with you?"  
  
"You know it is, I'll boil some water"  
  
"Okay, hows you ankle?"  
  
Pan had broken her ankle twice in the past three months, both times in the same place. Pan had refused to go to hospital as she knew the staff would need to know who their parents were, and when they refused to tell them they would be kept in the hospital as runaways. Bra would be recognised and Bulma and Videl would be called, and that would be the end of their quest. So Bra had dug out a first aid book and kit, and used a couple of chair legs to put Pans leg into a splint. It had worked pretty well, and since Pan could fly she didn't need to walk on it.  
  
"It's fine, just a little sore from the cold I guess" She said as she flicked the kettles ON switch,  
  
Bra laughed "you're like an old man who's injuries he got in the war tell him its gonna rain or be fine or what's for tea next Monday of something"  
  
"Shuddup" Pan threw a hairbrush at Bra, which she caught and used to sort out her now short hair. It had been Pans idea to disguise themselves as boys, because everyone knew the daughter of Bulma Breifs, and since they'd heard messages about them on the radio saying there was a reward if any information could be found about their whereabouts, they decided they would be safer as boys, and had cut each others hair. Bra being the one most skilled with hair, it had been Pan who got the best cut, but since they only came into contact with people every couple of weeks to buy food and supplies, it didn't really matter, Bra could always wear a hat anyway.  
  
Once the pasta was cooked and eaten, Pan took another look at the radar, and frowned at what she saw.  
  
"What is it?" asked Bra, seeing the look of confusion on her friends face.  
  
"Well this says the dragon ball's half a mile south"  
  
"Wasn't a mile before?"  
  
"Yeah, it's moving, but that's not all, south is that way" she pointed out through the window facing the cliff, "But there's a cliff in the way"  
  
"Oh, that is a problem. Hmmm, or not, what if its just on the other side of the cliff?"  
  
"Hey maybe! Let's check it out in the morning, I'm exhausted"  
  
"Sure" Bra slipped into her bed and yawned "G'night"  
  
A light snore from Pans bed told her she was already asleep.  
  
********************************  
  
Mirai Timeline  
  
Bulma sat at the desk near Trunks's bed, watching over him until the doctor came back with the results of his latest blood test. It had been nearly two weeks since Gohan had died, and Trunks had been asleep, or unconscious, most of that time. Doctors had been and gone, none knowing what was wrong with him. They had all taken their tests away, returning to their labs, only to call back in and say they still didn't know, there was nothing like this in any available records or in living memory. They had agreed that he would be better off at home, the hospital was full, Capsule Corp. had a suitable sick bay, and the hospital couldn't do anything for him anyhow.  
  
Bulma sighed, she felt she had grown so old since Gohan died, Chichi and the Ox king had moved into Capsule Corp. last week, so there was someone Bulma could talk to. Although Chichi was stuck in a severe case of depression, so Bulma had her work cut out for her trying to cheer her up, and looking after Trunks, not to mention she was sure there was something she could do, something she could make, that would change everything, the entire future. But she couldn't think of what it was, and it was driving her crazy.  
  
She tore another sheet of paper off the pad on the desk and crumpled it into a ball, then started trying to fill another one with little notes and pictures, but failing and ending up losing to herself at a game of noughts and crosses. Bulma sighed, lay her had down on the desk, and went to sleep.  
  
****************************  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
Pan half flew, half climbed up the steep cliff face, she had to hold on with her hands to stop herself being blown off by the wind. The rain had ceased a little but was still coming down quite heavily, making the cliff face slippery. If she hadn't been able to fly she would have fallen long ago. Pan reached the top and peered through the rain, the ground was at her level for as far as she could see, maybe one or two miles, cancelling out Bra theory that it was on the other side of the cliff. Pan looked around one more time, before beginning her descent down the cliff.  
  
"Nope, it's no on the other side" Pan announced to Bra, who put her hands on her hips and bit her bottom lip.  
  
"So now what?" She asked  
  
"Well, I guess there must be a cave or something that leads under the cliff, we have to find it"  
  
They split up, each going across the bottom of the cliff in different directions, looking for a way into the cliff. The search lasted and hour and a half before Bra came running up to Pan  
  
"I found something, its more of a hole than a cave, but it'll do"  
  
"Alright, show me"  
  
Bra lead Pan to the entrance of the cave, it was just over waist height and about the same length, although it looked like it went back quite a long way. Pan slid the radar into her pocket, dropped onto her hands and knees, and crawled through the hole.  
  
"Ick, the ground's all wet" she commented to herself  
  
"Just a sec Pan" called Bra "let me get a torch", she disappeared and reappeared a moment later, and shined the torch down the cave. From somewhere in the depths of it there was a 'drip, drip, drip' noise that echoed eerily round the crawl space.  
  
They crawled for about a hundred meters before the cave widened enough for them to stand up, neither noticed that the dripping noise had sped up as well. Bra shone the torch in Pans direction, and Pan studied the radar again.  
  
"It's stopped moving, good, and its through that larger passage" She pointed to where the cave branched off in two directions, then followed Bra though it. They passed under the water dripping into the cave 'dripdripdripdrip', and came to a small stream. Floating in its freezing cold waters was a couple of logs, with their branches entwined together round the six star dragon ball.  
  
"Well that was easy" Said Pan, thinking of the last dragon ball they found "No rabid dinosaurs, no hunters mistaking us for deer, just a little coldness and…" Whatever Pan had been about to say she was interrupted by the 'dripdripdripdrip' being replaced by a roar. The crack in the ceiling of the cave that had been letting in the drips gave way under the pressure of all the rain condensing above it, the crack spread at a very fast pace, the foundations of the cave gave way and all the rocks above came crashing down on top of them.  
  
********************  
  
ohh long chapter ending in cliff hanger, (or rather, cliff breaker, sorry, bad joke)  
  
Review if you wanna know what happens… 


	7. Under the cave

Thank you guys soooooo much for your reviews!!! If you're an author you know how it feels to get good reviews, and if not, its Great! I did't think I'd have this chapter out till next weekend, but you guys (guys and girls) wanted it and I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and how often does that happen in life? So heres chapter 7, enjoy!  
  
***************************  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
"BRAAAA!!! BRAAAA!!!" Pan screamed, trying to make herself heard over the roaring and crunching of rocks piling down all around her "BRAAAA!!! Oww!" A sharp, fist sized rock collided with the side of her head, cutting into her skin above her eye to her hairline, another hit her in the back, forcing her to the ground, and a couple of larger, heavier rocks landed on her leg, pinning her there. Powering up slightly to give off light, she saw a man sized boulder hurtling down towards her, thinking quickly she lifted her hand and disintegrated it with a small ki blast. Dust rained down into her eyes, blurring her already limited vision. After an age the terrible rumbling eased slightly, then stopped altogether, only to be replaced by a silence that, mixed with the darkness, seemed even worse. Pan was enclosed with rock, there was barely enough room to move. Pushing the smaller of the rocks aside, she made a beeline tunnel to where she had last seen Bra, each movement sending  
jolts of pain though the leg the rocks had landed on, and Pan knew she had broken her ankle, again, if not the whole leg.  
  
********  
  
In the Dream  
  
Bra found herself by the pool without realising she had gone to sleep. Rubbing her head and sitting up she understood what must of happened. "Oh no" she said, looking around the familiar surroundings, Trunks was on the ground, leaning against a rock for support, he looked almost transparent. He didn't notice her arrive, and looked up in surprise when she approached him, then sat down next to him, a worried look on her face.  
  
"You look terrible Trunks, what happened?" She asked  
  
"Thanks a lot" said Trunks, his voice quieter than usual "I don't know, I think it had something to do with me falling in the pool, I've been feeling like I'm gonna die for the last, well, ages, since the last time I Dreamed, since Gohan, died."  
  
"You're not going to die, you're strong, you won't die because of some illness, I won't let you"  
  
"Goku did" said Trunks  
  
"That doesn't mean you're going to"  
  
"I am, I can feel it, I can hardly move when I'm awake, and look at me when I'm asleep, Bra, I can see through my hand, and when I die, the androids will have won, there will be no-one left to stand against them, I've seen it all happen, in dreams, in nightmares, they kill everyone, Kaasan, Chichi, they even got to you, I've seen you die in my dreams so many times, I've seen into the future, its completely dark" Trunks said, remembering his wild and horrific hallucinations he'd had, the screams of everyone he'd cared about, the death of his mother, and of his sister over and over.  
  
Bra put a comforting arm round her brother. "Remember Trunks, the darker the night gets, the more stars come out".  
  
"There are no stars, its all clouded over"  
  
Silence passed between them for a moment until Bra spoke again "Think of it this way then; If your world is covered in shadows, there must be a light somewhere, shadows can't exist without the light"  
  
Trunks took his sisters and looked into her hopeful halcyon blue eyes "You're the only light there is for me". It was barely a whisper.  
  
They sat together by the tranquillity of the pool, holding each other in deep silence until the Dream was, all too soon, over.  
  
******************  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
It seemed like forever, a forever of pain and darkness, until Pan finally reached Bra's side. She was lying unconscious, half buried in a waist high pile of rocks, Pan crawled over to her.  
  
"Bra?" she whimpered "Please Bra, please" Pan began heaving rocks off her, until all she was covered in was a thin layer of dust and ever so many bruises. Bra stirred, and looked up at Pan, still glowing slightly, and giving off the only light in the cave.  
  
"Bra! Are you alright!?" Pan asked, sounding very much like her grandmother.  
  
Bra sat up, grabbed her head because it was spinning, blinked to clear her vision, the said, in a small, in shock, voice, "yes yes I'm okay, how are you?"  
  
Pan managed a relieved smile, "I'm okay, I think I broke more than my ankle this time though, come on, get up, we've got to dig our way out of here, have you got the Dragonball?"  
  
Bra nodded "I landed on it" she pulled it out from under her back, winced as her hand touched the big tender spot on her back that would soon turn into the Mother of all Bruises, and placed the precious ball into her pocket. "Why can't we blast our way out?" Bra asked Pan, who had just discovered the torch, crushed under half a tonne of rock. Pan shook her head  
  
"Because we might trigger off another cave in" She reasoned, Bra sighed,  
  
"Okay" as she stood up, or rather, tried to. "Oh"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't think I am okay after all"  
  
Pan crawled back over to Bra, keeping her jarred knee off the ground as best she could "What? What's wrong?"  
  
Bra winced "I can't feel my legs" And with that, she fainted again.  
  
********************  
  
Mirai Timeline  
  
Bulma picked up her pencil, chewed on it thoughtfully, put the tip to the paper and sighed. "Why can't I think?" She asked herself "I know there's something I can do, why can't I figure out what it is?" She looked at the blank piece of paper sitting in front of her, mocking her. Holding her pencil tentatively she drew an oval, then added supports so it could stand up, and a small button near the bottom to put it back into its capsule. She flicked on the lamp sitting on the desk and looked at her work, tilted her head to one side "What is it?" Frowning at the line drawing on the paper, or perhaps at herself, she crumpled it into a ball and threw it directly into the rubbish bin with one smooth, over practised movement.  
  
******************* 


	8. Argument and Awakening

Chapter 8 : Arguments and Awakening  
  
Disclaimer: do I really have to keep putting this in, I. Do. Not. Own. Dbz. Okay?.  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
For hours Pan scraped away rocks from the passage, pushing them to one side and inching forward bit by bit. Every minute or so she turned round to make sure Bra was still okay, she didn't have a clue what she would do if something worse happened to her, she'd just have to hope against hope that it didn't.  
  
Bra had never known there were so many shades of grey. But there they were, dancing in front of her eyes, dark and light, dark and light. Pushing herself up on her elbows, she saw a blurred image of Pan, working away at the collapsed passage.  
  
"Pan?" She squeaked, Pan spun round  
  
"Oh Bra" She said, crawling over and hugging her friend, Bra hugged back weakly, eyes half shut  
  
"I'm so tired" Bra yawned, Pan nodded, she too was feeling sluggish, and knew it was the worst of signs.  
  
"I think the air's getting thinner. Don't worry, I made a promise long ago not to let you fail, and I intend to keep it. I'll get us out of here"  
  
Bra shook her head "Let, me, help" she said, pulling herself up on her knees "see, I can still use my legs". She hobbled on all fours over to the place where Pan had been digging and began scrabbling away at the rocks. Pan crawled over, smiled at Bra, and began digging beside her.  
  
Bra worked as vigorously as Pan to start with, but it wasn't long before her movements got slower and her breathing faster, and she took to working on her stomach so she didn't have to support her body weight. She pressed her fingers into her eye sockets, desperate to keep herself awake, and lay her sore head on her arm. A half moan, half yawn escaped her mouth.  
  
"Don't go to sleep" Pan warned  
  
"I won't, I'll just, rest my eyes"  
  
"Don't even do that, it's too dangerous"  
  
"Okay" Bra said, then closed her eyes, and was immediately lifted up from the pain into sweet blackness. Deep and rich and...  
  
SLAP!  
  
"Owww!" Bra woke up abruptly, grabbing the left side of her face and glaring at Pan  
  
"Sorry, I had to do it, you were asleep. Actually, I don't even need to apologise"  
  
"You're right, you don't. Thank you"  
  
Pan wiped the sweat off her brow "okay, you rest if you must, I'm going to keep digging"  
  
**************  
  
The Dreampool  
  
When Bra woke up the second time she was surrounded by green, green ferns, green shrubs, green everything. For a moment she wondered if Pan had managed to dig them out, but there was no burning pain in her legs, no sharp pain in her forehead. Bra breathed in wonderful fresh air, there was no pain in the Dream. *But what about Trunks?* The question crossed her mind, *his transparency, why is he so weak here?* No answer was offered. Bra was lying on her side in the undergrowth, arm outstretched, a small, bright green frog sitting perfectly still on her hand, looking at her. Bra flinched when she saw it, the frog hopped off her hand, unhappy at being disturbed, and bounced off in the direction of the Pool, where it landed with a ploop. Bra smiled when she heard that peaceful sound, then frowned in confusion when she heard another, voices. There had never been anyone but herself and Trunks at the Pool before. Bra lay where she was, listening to what they were saying, although  
generally she held eavesdropping in contempt.  
  
"First you do not allow me to explain to Trunks, now you forbid me from saving their lives!  
  
"Sister, they may find a way out of the cave yet"  
  
"Since midmorning they have been digging, and they have only dug through less than twenty meters, there is over eighty to go and they have, what, maybe an hours worth of air left. If we do nothing they will die, then where will Trunks's world be?"  
  
"It will be where it was before 'you' decided to interfere"  
  
"ME!"  
  
Bra lifted her head slightly, so she could see the speakers. A male and a female, both with dark green hair that accentuated their strange, yellow green eyes. The female wore a long white dress, vines wrapped round her waist, and all she could see of the male was his long, also green, cloak. "It will not be as is was" the woman continued "the Pool had done something to Trunks, unless he finds away himself to beat it, then his world is doomed. You know as well as I do that he is the only hope for his world. And you know as well as I do that Bulma is too cut up with worry to create anything to help him, so the burden rests on the girls shoulders. Both of whom are lying unconscious in the cave as we uselessly argue!"  
  
*We are?* Thought Bra, the woman in white recomposed herself after her outburst.  
  
"Look Brother, Kami foresaw the androids, Kami gave us the Pool and the power to Dreambind, and Kami entrusted us with his worlds future after he was gone. How could you even think to betray his trust by leaving the girls in the cave, by letting them die?"  
  
Bra had to admit the woman was good with her words.  
  
"I am not betraying his trust" The male said "I am simply being-"  
  
His sister cut him off. "Male" she said, a touch of malice on the word.  
  
"What does that mean?" He asked.  
  
Bra never got to find out what it meant (although she thought she probably already knew) because at that moment she sneezed, and when she looked up to where the guardians had been arguing, they had vanished.  
  
*****************  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
The Dream lasted for some time after the Guardians left their pool, and Bra was permitted a few hours of dreamless, true or otherwise, sleep before waking up. The sun was warm on her face and she was weighed down with blankets, thick, heavy and warm. Bra yawned contently, before rolling over to see Pan sleeping softly in the bed next to her. She smiled at some unknown dream as she slept, and Bra smiled to see her friend happy.  
  
The realisation dawned on her that she was no longer under a mountain of rocks. The air was fresher than that of the stuffy, overbreathed air in the cave. Sitting up, she blinked in the radiant light reflecting off the while tiled floor outside. Bra rubbed her eyes and sleepily brushed a strand of teal hair away from her face, noticing with pleasure, but confusion, that the scar on her forehead was gone. Pulling on the white fluffy dressing gown lying on the end of the bed, and peering out the huge windows looking out over the white shiny tiles to the endless azure sky. She could see Mr Popo watering the flowers on the opposite side of the lookout.  
  
"Oh, you're awake" Dende's soft voice sounded behind her. Bra was suddenly washed over with worry, Dende would be sure to tell her parents, they only had one dragonball to go and she didn't want to face them before her quest was complete. Come to think of it she didn't want to face them 'after' she'd made her wishes, but that couldn't be avoided.  
  
"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone, I've been to busy trying to work out how you got here" Dende seemed to read her mind, or possibly just her face.  
  
"What? You mean you didn't bring us here?" Bras worry was replaced with confusion  
  
"No, I just healed you. There was a woman, dressed in white and green vines, she appeared on the lookout with you and Pan unconscious at her feet, then disappeared"  
  
Bra nodded, finally understanding, the female Guardian had gotten her way.  
  
"I should warn you, though, Piccalo was here when she appeared with you. He went down to get Gohan, they'll be back soon"  
  
Bra bolted back to her room, shaking Pan violently. "Come on Pan! We're going".  
  
Pan opened her eyes groggily, "but we just got here" she complained. "Where is here?" she added, as an afterthought,  
  
"You're Otousan's on his way up here" Bra informed her, panic fulling her voice  
  
"Otusan?" Pan sat up, realising where she was. "Bra we nearly died" she stated matter-of-factly. "Why is our parents knowing now such a bad idea?"  
  
"We'll be grounded forever! Trunks doesn't have much time! If you're not coming then I'll go by myself!" Bra threatened, knowing perfectly well that she wouldn't.  
  
Pan opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, staring at something, or, more likely, someone, behind, Bra. Bra hoped Pan was looking at Dende, or even an unusual shaped cloud, Bra turned her head.  
  
She was looking at Gohan.  
  
**************** 


	9. They want cake? Is that all?

Mirai Timeline  
  
Chapter 9: They want cake?  
  
Discla…whatever…  
  
*********  
  
Mirai Timeline  
  
Bulma blinked herself back into consciousness, struggling to remember what had knocked her out. Her eyes focused on a boot, and her eyes travelled up the owners leg to his face. #17 grinned down at her.  
  
*Oh Hell* thought Bulma, then another thought smashed its way onto her mind with great urgency *Trunks!* Bolting up from the floor, ignoring the block spots dancing in front of her eyes and the androids quiet chuckle to himself, she raced as fast as she could, one hand on the wall for balance, up to Trunks room, where he was feverishly sleeping. Sitting by his bed, on the seat Bulma had worm smooth from keeping careful watch over her son the past few weeks, was #18. Bulma drew her eyes from the android to her son, pleading with herself that he was still breathing; he was. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, then stopping mid sigh when she realised what had got her so anxious in the first place, Bulma turned with a blazing fire in her eyes to Eighteen. "What do you want?" Her voice fearless of the android she knew could kill her without a second thought. "Why are you here?"  
  
"Can't a girl come visit her friends once and a while?" Eighteen purred  
  
Bulma was shocked "Friends?"  
  
"Call it an acquaintance then, we've gotten to know each other rather well over the past year. You're son's terribly persistent but awfully stupid, I've never once seen him calm, so I thought I'd come and watch him sleep" Eighteen knew her calmness was unnerving Bulma, and was enjoying seeing her fear work away at her immensely  
  
"Get. Out" Bulmas voice was ringing with protectiveness, Eighteen just smiled.  
  
"That's no way to treat a guest. Now why don't you make us something to eat? What do you feel like Seventeen?" She turned to her brother who had just sauntered into the room.  
  
"Hmmm, cake, I think, chocolate" He replied, sounding bored. Eighteen looked at Bulma, who hadn't moved.  
  
"Well what are you waiting for, get baking old woman" She ordered, then, to add power to her words, formed a fist sized Ki ball and held it over Trunks shakily rising and falling chest, he frowned slightly, as if he knew something wasn't quiet right. Bulma opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she saw the expression in Eighteens face, swallowing her words, she backed out of the bedroom and down the stairs. "Seventeen, follow her" Eighteen said "make sure she doesn't spit in the bowl". Seventeen grunted, disliking being ordered around by his sister, although he did like the prospect of cake.  
  
***********  
  
Normal Timeline   
  
Gohan stood at the doorway of the room at Dende's place where the girls had slept the night before. It had been six months since he'd seen his daughter and he didn't know wether to yell at her, hug her, or blast her off the face of the earth. "Pan" was all he said, was all he could think of to say.  
  
Pan smiled sheepishly up at her father. "Dad" she replied. Gohan went with his second impulse, and hugged his daughter fiercely, knowing that Videl would take care of a punishment when it was time.  
  
Bra looked up at Piccallo, "tattletale" she mumbled, Piccallo raised one eyebrow, or the green lump above his eye in place of an eyebrow; he had never been called a tattletale before.  
  
"PAN!" Videl screamed, appearing at the doorway. "Are you alright?!?" She stormed over to her daughter, who, slightly daunted, nodded. "Good" said Videl, then took a deep breath, Pan braced herself for the verbal assault she knew was coming.  
  
"What were you thinking just disappearing like that? Do you have any idea what you put us through? You could have at least called! We've been looking for you everywhere! You..."  
  
Bra tuned out, or something tuned her out of its own accord. The edges of her vision blurred, then the rest of the room swirled round and round her. Bra sat down, thankful to find something solid underneath her, then jumping up again when she realised she was sitting on the floor, with a chair right through her stomach. *What?* she thought, experimentally putting her hand up against the chair again. It went straight through. Rubbing her hand as if it hurt, even though it didn't, she looked around her, expecting the Pool or at least dense, cool bush, even though there was a chair sitting there, she still expected it. What surrounded her instead was the inside of a room, slightly dark and furnished plainly, with a desk and computer, chair and bed. There was a FLASH and sitting bent over the desk was an older version of her mother, another blinding FLASH and she had vanished, Trunks tossed in his sleep. FLASH Bulma re-appeared, and was punching things into a computer, frowning at the glowing numbers on the screen. FLASH Eighteen had taken Bulmas place at Trunks bedside, she looked bored, as she wondered what to do with him. FLASH Her hand lit up and hovered over Trunks chest, Bulma stood at the doorway looking frightened and angry. FLASH Bulma was baking, trying not to cry into the mixture as Seventeen watched her with his icy eyes. FLASH Bra was back in Trunks's bedroom, Eighteen smirked. Bra had never seen a look so evil before, and she knew exactly what it meant  
  
"Trunks!" She screamed "Truuuunks!!!"  
  
"Bra, Bra wake up. I'm here, it's all right, its all right"  
  
Bra blinked, opening her eyes she hadn't realised had been shut, and looked up at Trunks. Her brother was here. Safe. But the one from the Dream was not.  
  
"What happened?" Bra asked, panicked  
  
"You fainted" said Pan, "and you were screaming"  
  
Trunks nodded, looking at Bra strangely "Bra what's going on?" He asked. Vegita appeared next to him, and Bulma behind them both. She pulled her daughter into a tight hug, Bra had to struggle to breath her mothers arms were so tight. Shaking uncontrollably she stood up, holding onto Pan and Bulma for support  
  
"Where's the dragonball?" She asked Dende "Where is it?!"  
  
Dende, scurried out of the room, reappearing moments later with the small orange sphere in his hand. Bra held out her hand but before Dende could hand it over, Vegita snatched it from his grip. Turning to his daughter, still shaking from what she had just seen, he said "You're not getting this until you explain exactly what's going on" in his traditional Prince-of-all- Sayajins-so-therefore-better-than-everyone-else voice.  
  
Bra shook off her mother and friend and walked over to her father, "Otusan, there is no time. I need to find the last Dragonball quickly, or else all is lost. Do you understand?" She turned to all the other "Now we can do this together or I will do it alone, But NO-ONE IS GOING TO STOP ME! I need the dragonballs, who's with me?" Bra cast a pleading look round the room, everyone, (quite a large crowd had gathered after Bra had fainted) every single face except Pans, had a look of confusion plastered onto it. Pan took Bra's arm again  
  
"I am, of course" she smiled. While Bulma turned and walked out the door. Bra sagged against Pan, she had really hoped for her mothers support on this.  
  
"I am" said Trunks "Although I don't really know what I'm agreeing to"  
  
"yeah, me too" Goten said, nodding. Gradually, the whole room had agreed, except Vegita. Bra turned to him again, looking up into his face. An unsaid question passed between them, Vegita snorted  
  
"Well I'm not letting you go alone, am I?" He said, ignoring the fact that most of the Son's as well as Krillens family had turned up and agreed to go.  
  
*If only Kaasan-* Bra thought, but was cut off by a loud roar and 'Thuumpp- p-p' of something landing on the lookout. She raced outside, that is to say she tried, but was still a little shaky from everything that had happened in the last 24 hours, so had to grab onto Pans arm for reassurance again. There, on the lookout, was a huge plane with Capsule Corp scrawled across it. And standing in front of it, grinning at her daughter, was Bulma. Bra grinned back, and they all boarded the plane, destined for the capsule house outside that cave where the other five dragonballs lay, then to Kami- knew-where for the seventh.  
  
*Why did we not ask them all in the first place* pondered Pan, *They all agreed to help now*. She looked over at Bra, there was something about her face that night, over six months ago, that was still lingering now. When the girls first sat off on their journey -Pan remembered- it was as if something had been pulling then forward, some mysteries force. As if they had been gripped by a not so brief period of insanity  
  
*Hmmm* Pan leaned up against a warm body beside her, Trunks put his arm round her. Sighing happily, Pan thought dismissingly *Maybe it was something in the water*  
  
She didn't know how right she was. 


	10. Futile attempts using kitchen utensils

A/N: well I'm writing this as I watch dbz (is there anybetter insperation) its been a while since I updated last, hehe (sweatdrops) sorry bout that, anyway  
  
***********  
  
Mirai Timeline  
  
He knew something was wrong.  
  
Of course he knew. He felt it in the strongÂ royal blood of his Sayajin ancestors, in the equally strong blood of his Human ones. He'd come out of his sleep-coma just as Eighteen had entered his room, with his head feeling clearer than it had in weeks, but his body feeling weak as a tissue. But his heart was strong, strong with his sisters words, and refilled with hope. He frowned as an unnatural warmth formed above his chest, twitching his fingers into a fist that he knew held no power to stop her, but had to try. Gradually he regained the strengh to pull himself out of the darkness and shake off the feeling of tiredness that had haunted his so strongly for the past eternity or two. He knew he had no chance to destroy either android, even if he did manage to kill Eighteen, Seventeen was downstairs with Bulma, and Trunks knew he couldn't endanger her. It was so well planned, neither could do anything to help the other, and there was no-one else... Trunks held his breath, and waited for his moment...  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
"You were trapped under that for how long?" Gohan was shocked when he saw the huge pile of rocks piled up near the Capsule house, a haunting feeling of the memory of pain and claustrophobia swept through Bras stomach as she looked at the huge collapsed cliff, but she was still clutching Pans arm, so it didn't show, only in her eyes. Together they walked into what had been their house for so many months, suddenly so small with the large number of bodies now inside it.Â Bra opened an oak draw, and pulled out the royal blue cloth that was wrapped loosely round the five dragonballs, added the sixth to them, and tied up the bundle again.  
  
"s'go" She mumbled, feeling slightly...she didn't know the name for it...weird.  
  
Bulma picked up the dragonradar "West" She said, "A long way west"  
  
Bra shook her head, attempting to shake of the feeling, but failed "kay" she nodded, Pan noticed Bra's discomfort, and if she hadn't know her so well she would have dismissed it as exhaustion, instead she put her arm round her, Pan feeling slightly strange herself.  
  
They took off in the plane, heading west, while Vegita flew slightly ahead, not wanting to participate in the travel games that were taking place inside. Bulma drove, tempted to try and run into Vegita, who wasn't flying at his maximum speed but still faster than the plane could go, and wasÂ getting completely wet, as it was still raining.  
  
Bra sat next to Pan, dragonballs in her lap, half contemplating the wishes, half in a daze, and rocking slightly back and forth.  
  
"Go Fish" Someone said, possibly Krillen  
  
"Mmmm fish" Goku drooled, then "Oh great, my cards are wet, yik"  
  
If eyes were films they would have had a movie marathon, there were so many of them rolling at once.  
  
"Do ya have a three dad?" Goten asked, Goku looked at his cards, thinking hard, Goten sighed and held up three fingers "this many"  
  
"Oooh" Goku nodded, holding out a dripping card, Goten looked at it, made a face  
  
"On second hand, you keep it" he said, Goku shrugged, and replaced the drooled on card in his hand. Grinning, he then went on to ask 18 if she had any cake, and no-one was surprised when she said she didn't.  
  
**************************  
  
Mirai Timeline  
  
Bulma could almost feel Seventeens breath down her neck as she put the cake into the oven, but if she risked a look over her shoulder she could see him sitting, elbows resting on the table and head resting on his hands, at the table behind her, watching her every move.  
  
'Kami help us' thought Bulma 'I hate this! I really hate this! I wish I could do something, anything, even just get them out of my house. They're in my house!" Bulma thought of the pile of paper in the rubbish bin by the desk in Trunks's room, the paper with the blue prints for Kami-knows-what, she wished she did. She wished she knew what it was that wanted to be designed, any clue at all that she could go from. Was it a weapon? Some sort of transport? Or, more importantly, could it help destroy the androids?  
  
The front door of Capsule corp. clicked open, and footsteps echoed down the entrance hall. A moment later Chichi appeared, up to her neck in groceries, at the kitchen door. She saw the android and stiffened.  
  
"Chichi RUN!" Shrieked Bulma, and for half a second, maybe half a second too long Chichi didn't move, then dropped her brown bags and disappeared down the hallway. Seventeen got up, casually, and walked after her. Bulma attempted a dash after both of them, but her apron was caught in the oven door.  
  
"No dammit! NO!" she cried, tugging at the material binding her to the oven. The moment it tore away there was a blood curling scream, then the sound of an explosion that shook the entire house right down to Bulmas bones.  
  
Seventeen walked back into the room, face wearing the same expression as before; boredom, and his hands dripped with blood. Bulma shook her head, tears blurring her vision, and ran at the android  
  
"You basted! You, you arsehole!" Bulma flew at him, one hand clenched round a wooden spoon, the other round the first this she could find; a bread knife. Brandishing her 'weapons' madly she sliced at him, missed, and sliced again, this time catching nothing more that a tiny peice of his shirt. Seventeen cursed silently at himself for being so slow, grabbed both Bulma wrists and held them high above her head, so tighly Bulma had to let go of the knife and spoon. She knew they were futile attempts but...but...  
  
Seventeens eyes were boring into her, Chichis blood from his hands was running down her arms. Seventeen grinned. "Your turn" he said, in an almost sing song voice.  
  
Trunks felt Chichi's small ki die, and decided his mother was in danger, now more than ever. Too angry to hold it down any longer he half jumped, half fell, out of bed, and stumbled to the door.  
  
Eighteen stepped infront of him, smiling malevolently.  
  
"Finally. You're awake"  
  
***********************  
  
Cliff-hanger, ohhh a cliff-hanger, wanna know what happens??? Review!!! 


	11. Wishes

Chapter 10 (I think its 10, it might be 9 or 11, I cant remember) : Wishes  
  
Disclaimer: yeah, yeah I own it, I do, sure, sure I do, yup, nahhhh I wish!!! Don't we all??? And, like most of us out there, I don't really own it  
  
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Trunks felt the room jerk and shake around him as his body tried to adjust to this position of being vertical that it hadn't experienced in weeks. He knew he didn't have any physical strength to confront the androids, but if he didn't try, all was lost. All. He drew himself up to his full height, taking a lot of the strength he didn't have, so that he couldn't even keep his fists clenched together. Pulling all the anger raging inside of his into his arm he swung at Eighteens face, she didn't even blink but moved her head just slightly backwards so he missed by a hair, over balanced, and had to use more energy to stop himself falling over. He swung at her again, but exactly the same thing happened.  
  
Eighteen yawned and swung her foot in a half circle at ground level, tripping him up, then before he could hit the ground bringing her leg up and kneeing him in the stomach, before sending him flying across the room. Landing with a thud heavily on his side on top of the desk, Trunks winced, but used the desk to stand himself upright again, and ran at her. She let him punch her, and hardly felt a thing, but got bored of it rather quickly, so sent him flying across the room again, cracking the wall on the other side, and knocking the breath out of him.  
  
"I'm 'not' giving up" he though, not bothering to catch his breath before attacking the evil being who was just standing there, eyes laughing silently at him, mocking him  
  
"I'm not giving up" Again he was thrown across the room, the wall cracking deeper, but not so deep as his anger ran, coursing through his veins like fire.  
  
"Not giving up" He hit the window. Hard. And it shattered, Trunks felt his support crack, them tumble in a million razor sharp shining pieces below him, and hadn't the strength not to follow. If there had been and air left in his lungs after the half dozen collisions with the wall, he would have lost it, but he had none to lose, so lay there, in the rain -when had it started to rain?- trying to breath some in. The rain seemed to talk to him.  
  
~Give him...~ it whispered, or it sounded as faint as a whisper, but had once been a shout. The voice...that voice...Trunks recognised it.  
  
~Give him the strength...~ He knew that voice...  
  
~...The strength to fight...~ It was Bra's voice! But how?  
  
~Give him the strength to fight the androids!~  
  
Trunks felt renewed strength running through him, strength he hadn't felt since, since the day Gohan died, was murdered, murdered by the ANDROIDS! Who were IN HIS HOUSE at this very moment.  
  
Trunks leapt up, breathing in sweet wet air, and flew back in his window with the speed of a super sayajin -which, although he didn't realise it till later, was what he was- Eighteen had her back turned and was heading out of the room, thinking he was dead. Trunks didn't even yell a battle cry before he grabbed his fists together, one inside the other, and brought it down with amazing speed on her head. She collapsed to the floor, completely caught off guard, and he sped off down the hall in the direction of the kitchen, and Bulma.  
  
****************  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
It was midnight, the air dry and thickly black, but there was a streak of light, twisting and turning, that could be seen for miles round. For years to come the people of the villages and towns scattered across western Australia would tell their children of the so called "dragon" seen in the sky on that hot dry night.  
  
Bra and Pan, and the rest of the Z Senchi, watched and listened as Shenlong bade them farewell after Bra spoke the second wish, and as the seven Dragonballs screamed and raced across the sky, leaving tiny trails of light that slowly faded and gave way to the pathway of stars. Bra collapsed into a sitting position on the sandy ground 'its over' she though, relived and hoping she'd made a difference, 'its finally over'.  
  
The others approached her, the decision had been unspoken but unanimous that Bra make the wishes, and the others had all stood back, giving her room to do so. Pan and Bulma put their hands on Bra's shoulders, and Bra looked up at them, expecting, well, something other than the look she got.  
  
"Bra" Said Pan gravely, Bra shook her head, upset by her tone, this was a time to be happy, to celebrate, not to... not to be... well how ever Pan and Bulma -and, as she looked around, everyone else- were being.  
  
"What?" Asked Bra "What?"  
  
"You said 'fight' Bra, 'the strength to fight' you were supposed to say 'defeat' " Said Bulma softly, as if louder words would break her.  
  
'The strength to fight the androids', 'The strength to defeat the androids' They were completely different things! Bra slapped herself, "How could I be so stupid! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! NO! It's not fair!"  
  
"Bra calm down" Pan knelt opposite her, taking her by the shoulders and shaking them "Bra stop it" She wanted to say 'it'll be okay, all will be well' But she couldn't say that, not when she didn't know for sure.  
  
Bra shook her head, silently cursing herself and praying that Trunks would still find a way at the same time. "Please be okay Trunks. Please be okay"  
  
**********************  
  
A/N I dunno how long itll be till I can get the next chapter out, I might be tomorrow but I might be in the weekend, or next week, good luck to anyone doing the 40 hour famine ( I am!) hmmm heres an idea for a fanfic, the sayajins on the famine, hehe theyd go mad, if anyone write one like that tell me, I wanna read it, okay people, until next time ^_^  
  
PS: REVIEW  
  
pps; I just checked, this was chapter 11, although u guys probably knew that, I didn't *_* hehe 


	12. The Guardians explanation

I promised myself i'd have this chappy up by the holidays,but the computer memory went bung, I think its fixed now though, if ur reading this it is, i've been having to writ this on and off for the past week or 2, ive been soo busy, if any of u guys goes or has ever been to high school, well youll know how busy you can get, right? yup, i mean, they made us climb up a moutin!!! and walk around outside while it hailed (bio camp), but at least, now its holidays,i now have TIME !!! and can go buy those dbz easter eggs they're selling somewhere, and the dbz drinkbottle at pack n save, and the Trunks socks at the wharehouse, and... oh yea the dbz hakie saks at burgur king, YAHHH ITS TAKING OVER!!! (yes im quite mad, hadn't you realised???) ok deap breaths (me not u) ok ur probably not reading this anyway, so ill stop babling and on with the chapter  
  
Â   
  
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"Baka" Bra mumbled to herself, at herself "Baka baka baka". She sat on her bed, looking down at her feet that were swaying sightly back and forth just above the floor,Â they were blocky blurred shapes in they darkness. It was somewhere between one and two in the morning, the night after the Dragon, and Bra had locked herself in her room the moment she returned, not leaving for anything, and it took something pretty big to make a sayajin -even a half sayajin- to miss a meal. She was still beating herself up from messing up the wording of the wishes. Every hour, sometimes less, Bulma or Trunks or Pan would knock on the door and try to talk her out, usually aided by the smell of food, which was probably fed to Goku or Vegita, once Bra had -once more- rejected it, Bulma had even threatened to take the hinges off the door.  
  
"Baka" Bra said again, raising her head to look at the sky out her open window. The cloud was quite low, illuminated with the lights of the city, yellow and grey, and patches of deep black showed through the gaps, Bra could see the hint of starlight in the endless black, then lowered her head again, thinking she probably didn't really deserve to see the stars. A small, cold puff of night air blew through the curtains and teased her hair. "Go away" Bra muttered. The wind ignored her, and continued to blow about her hair. *This room is driving me nuts,Â I need a good long fly* Bra thought, getting to her feet and climbing through the window. Silent, she took off into the night.  
  
Vegita watched his daughter, a dark shape against the patchy dark sky, and wondered if he should follow her. He watched for a moment from the large window of the bedroom, listening to Bulmas light snore. He decided against going back to bed, humans slept too much anyway, and he was already dressed for training, and, climbing out the window, followed her. He kept his ki hidden, as he had done for the most part of the last half year, when he disappeared 'training' to follow her. Vegita knew she was on some sort of personal mission, so had not tried to stop her, but didn't really know, didn't have a clue, why she had made the wishes that she did. And thought maybe now was the time to find out, seeing as she'd locked herself in her room. He followed her for what seemed like hours, and probably was, flying aimlessly round the mountains. And touched down when she did, silently, behind her.  
  
********************  
  
Trunks raced down the hall toward the kitchen, feet barely touching the ground before they left again. He knew what he was going to do, he was going to burst into the kitchen, and beat the living crap out of the android whose cold metal hand was tightening round his mothers throat.  
  
But as he entered the kitchen, all that changed.  
  
Seventeen had his hand clamped round Bulma neck, holding her just off the floor. Her legs were swinging madly, kicking against his legs but having no effect. Trunks froze when he saw her; there was blood on her neck, and suddenly he knew he had to get her out of there, and would come back for the android.  
  
With the yell of anger he'd been holding back as he stunned Eighteen, he rammed into Seventeens stomach with his head. Seventeen reeled in surprise from the attack of the boy who he though was practically dead, and let go of Bulma, who went flying across the room and landed uncomfortable half in the sink. Before Seventeen could regain his posture enough to fight, Trunks had grabbed Bulma round the waist and disappeared out the hole in the wall made when Chichi had been murdered.  
  
Bulma came out of her half dazed state to find herself being carried through the air by a pair of strong arms, and for the first moment before she opened her eyes, she thought if was #17, screamed and kicked out. Trunks nearly dropped her as her high pitched scream burst into his ears, but had the sense not to, and put his hand over her mouth instead. Bulma stopped struggling;Â whoever held her was not going to hurt her, she knew -How?- she didn't know, but was sure she was in no danger. Opening her eyes, she blinked in the white-grey light of the rain clouds, and whispered, in awe 'Vegita?'  
  
"Kaasan, it's me, Trunks" Still super Sayajin, still flying at such a speed that Bulma had to close her eyes again, and screw up her face against the rain pelting against her skin.  
  
"You're okay" She said, half statement, half question.  
  
"Yes" He said, and looked back.  
  
Seventeen was following them, pissed off at Trunks having been faster than him, if only for a second, and an even more pissed off Eighteen was just behind him. Trunks said no more; putting all his strength into his speed.  
  
Seventeen reached him first,Â then Eighteen, they flanked him and Bulma, one on each side, and grinned like nothing could stop them now, it probably couldn't, but Trunks was determined to try. He dropped suddenly, heading fast towards the ground, and began to dodge among the long empty buildings, knowing the androids wanted to kill him personally, and wouldn't risk killing him by destroying the whole city. He wasn't worried about himself, but he wouldn't let them get Bulma, and so had no choice but to run. He hated it, but at least they stood a chance down here.  
  
Or not.  
  
They were as fast and agile as he was, could dodge and turn, and seemed to read his mind as to which way he was about to go. But where else could he go?  
  
~Here~  
  
*What?* Thought Trunks *Did I just hear that?*  
  
~Over here~  
  
*No way, I'm losing it*  
  
~No you are not. Trunks, Left!~  
  
Trunks swerved left into an alleyway, so sudden that his pursuers took the tiniest fraction of a second to follow, just enough time for Trunks to see the Woman standing in front of him, and dodge just enough so he wouldn't smash headfirst into her. She reached out, grabbed his arm...  
  
And when Seventeen and Eighteen turned the corner, they were gone.  
  
****************  
  
Normal Timeline  
  
Bra turned to face her father, looking slightly shocked, she hadn't had the presence of mind to see if anyone had been following her. "Why did you follow me?" She asked  
  
Vegita shrugged "Why did you come?"  
  
"Don't answer a question with a question"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Bra sighed, sat the lay down, watching the sky. "You knew where I was all the time didn't you?"  
  
"Of course" How could the Prince of all Sayajins be expected to do otherwise.  
  
"So I guess you know why"  
  
Vegita didn't say anything, Bra took at as a no, but turned her head to look at him, puzzled. Vegita shifted his weight onto the other foot, and leaned against a tree.  
  
"Well that's what I'm here to find out"  
  
"Oh, umm, well..." Bra tried to think where to start "There have been these, oh-" she was cut of as Something, SomeoneÂ materialised two feet from her face, Bra sat up in shock, but Vegita had already lunged for him, and missed.  
  
~I mean you no harm, Prince of the Sayajins, you nor your daughter~  
  
Vegita stopped, fists still clenched shut, and a frown, more confused than the usual one, appeared on his face, before he could say anything, the male figure reached down a hand to Bra.  
  
~Take it. Come with me~  
  
"She's not going anywhere with you!" said Vegita, moving between them. Bra scrambled up, one hand on her fathers shoulder.  
  
"Otousan, wait" She said, recognising the long green cloak hanging off the males shoulders in rich thick folds.  
  
"Why?" He demanded, Bra ignored him, moving towards the figure, she took his outstretched hand, tentatively, and felt a tug, as if she was being pulled somewhere, but it was a gentle pull, personal, as if from a close friend. She knew something Dreamlike was happening, and trusted it.  
  
Vegita didn't, he reached out and grabbed his daughters forearm the second before she disappeared, and then the warm tugging sensation enclosed over him, too.  
  
*******************  
  
Bulma looked round herself, sitting on a small hillock as the sun went down -golden orange, pinks, reds, every bright colour imaginable- the warmest, most comforting sky she'd seen for years. She blinked, but she was still sitting in the same place, Trunks standing nearby, also watching the sun go down, and the Female -white dress orange in the splendid light- standing just a little way off.  
  
Bulmas hands were warm where she held the small gift the Woman had given her, warm as if they had never experienced the cold -an outright lie, but a pleasant one- Bulma dared to peek at the, err, 'thing' held in her hands, she opened them just slightly, and a sweet white light shone through theÂ gapsÂ in her fingers. Bulma clenched her hands shut again, feeling somewhat guilty  
  
~There is no need to feel guilty Bulma. You have been given a gift. And it is not truly a gift. For it was yours before, I merely retuned it to you~  
  
Bulma sighed, she was not used to this strange way of talking this 'Woman' -if she was even human at all- posessed. "I just wish I knew what it was" said Bulma speaking to her hands.  
  
~It is an idea. A wish made for you~  
  
Bulma shook her head, more in amazement at the chain of unexplainable events that had taken place over the last hour. Was it only an hour? No. It was shorter than that. She looked over at Trunks, so happy so see him standing, alive and well. Alive, thank Kami.  
  
~Yes~ Said the Woman, if 'said' was the right word.  
  
Bulma shook her head again, and spoke to the Woman "You haven't finished explaining. How can an idea, a wish, be, be...?" Bulmas search for the right word failed.  
  
~I thought you were a genius Bulma~ Gods, was that sarcasm? A sense of humour was the last thing Bulma had been expecting. The Woman kept 'speaking'. ~The concept is similar to that of the Dragonballs. If a Dragon is able to be symbolised by seven Dragonballs, then one of its wishes is able to be symbolised and held within a sphere of light~  
  
Bulma nodded "you're saying that I'm holding in my hands and actual wish from the Dragon?"  
  
~Yes~  
  
"But how? The Dragon died when Kami did, didn'tÂ he?"  
  
~Yes. ButÂ a wish was made, two wishes, Trunks was given one, so were you, although It was lost in the tumult and chaos in your kitchen. When we are gone, consume the light, then you will understand. Now if you will permit yourself to wait, We will explain further~  
  
*We?* Thought Bulma. *Wait for what?*  
  
She was answered when the air to the left of Trunks seemed to take on a liquid state, shimmered in the golden light, and opened up, letting through a girl, about Trunks's age, Bulma guessed, a male that looked as mysteries as the Woman, and...Vegita? Bulma stood up abruptly, staring, then walked over to him.  
  
"Vegita? Is it... Is it really you?" She said softly, one of her hands on the side of his face. "It is" Then Bulma did something she never done before, and was always glad of never having done it; she fainted.  
  
Vegita caught her in his arms, unleashing Bra from his grip as he did so. Bra rushed up to Trunks and flung her arms round his neck. "You're okay, you're alive!"  
  
Trunks, unused to this treatment, blushed slightly and said "Uh, yeah, I am"  
  
"I'm so sorry" Bra said, still attached to him "I'm soo soo sorry"  
  
"What for? You saved my life, and Kaasan's, I heard the wish you made"  
  
"But I..."  
  
"Don't Bra, don't apologise, everything will work out, even if all this..." He swept his hand across the hill they stood on, past the sun and over the small group of people standing -mostly- on it "...Is too much to understand. We'll live to see another day, thanks to you"  
  
Bra pulled her head away from his chest, and smiled up at him. Her eyes were bright with what could have been tears yet unshed, and her smile was genuinely happy. Together they turned round to see Bulma had come to, and Vegita was threatening the Pools Guardians.  
  
~...your children will explain about the pool after we are gone~ The Male was saying, this had no effect whatsoever on Vegita, the vein on his forehead was threatening to pop out.  
  
"Otusan please, listen to them, yes i will explain everthing, or all that i can, but for now just calm down, They bought us all here for a reason, whitch i am sure they will explain, after they tell me where they are going, won't you?" The last few of Bra's words were directed at the Gardiens. Vegitas vein stopped popping, and he would of leaned agains the nearest tree, but for Bulma still hanging of his arm.  
  
~Yes~ Said the Female ~Now that our perpose is fullfilled, we are no longer needed, we will travel through the dimensions untill we are needed again~  
  
"What exactly was your purpose?" Interrupted Bra.  
  
~Kami created us when He forsaw his death at the hands of the andriods, He gave us the power to bind two souls Dreams together, so that our world, Trunks's world, could be saved. We created the Pool as a setting for these Dreams. Trunks and Bra were chosen because they share the same blood. The Dreams have created a Bond between them. It is the truth that when Trunks almost drowned in the Waters of the Pool -so rough because of the strengh of his anger and sadness at Gohans death- he was only alive because Bra was. And as Bra was trapped under the many layers of rocks, she found the strengh to keep on breathing because Trunks was. Our purpose was to guide them in such a way that our world would be saved, that we have done, now we leave you.~  
  
There was a soft silence as everyone digested this information. Bulma storing it away in her mind untill she got the rest of the story, but Bra and Trunks understood, mostly.  
  
"Two questions" said Trunks "First, why haven't we seen you before?"  
  
~We were not permitted to interfere. Only to guide~  
  
Vegita snorted "What do you call this?" Indicating to thier current surroundings  
  
"Yeah, thats my second question, why bring us here?" Asked Trunks  
  
~For Bra. She has saved our world. For her peace of mind she needed to know she did not 'screw up' the wishes~  
  
"Thank you" said Bra  
  
~Farewell~ 'said' the Woman, nodding and vanishing  
  
~Farewell~ The Male echoed, and vanishing after his Sister.  
  
"Oh great, now how are we supposed to get home?" Vegita rolled his eyes.  
  
~The same way you came~ The shimmering liquid-air portal was still there, at the zenith of the smal hill. ~You have untill the sun sets to say goodbye~  
  
They had just under half an hour to talk, Trunks and Bra, through fits and starts, tried to explain all they could about the Dream. How Trunks had been haivng it for just under a year, but Bra had been haivng since she was three. How the Vegita that Bulma was still holding on to was not the one she had lost so many years ago. And as the sun finaaly set they said their goodbyes -Both Trunks and Bra knowing that now the Gaurdiens had gone, so had their time togather in the Dreams- Their parting was particually hard, andÂ Bulma hated seeing Vegita go again, watching him follow a tearfull Bra thruogh the portal.  
  
As the mother and son made their way through the liquid-air portal -if felt a little like water as well, cool and smooth- they found themselves in the alleyway they had escaped from what seemed like years before. It was dark, the first stars shining through the darkness, and a little light from Bulma's hand shone though.  
  
*Consume it* Though Bulma *How do you eat light* Trunks watched her in interest, wondering what the wish was. Bulma held out her hand for ages, so long Trunks was slightly dancing from one foot to the other with impatience before she held it up to her mouth and swallowed.  
  
And for a while, nothing happened.  
  
Then Bulma, kneeling in the dust covering the ground, drew an oval in the dust,Â then added supports so it could stand up, and a small button near the bottom to put it back into its capsule. She threw her haid back at the sky and laughed, laughed with happyness. She saw the confused look on Trunks's face, jumped up and hugged him. "Its a Time Machine Trunks! A Time Machine!" Trunks half understood, and was happy.  
  
"Come on Trunks" Bulma said, taking his hand and half walked half danced back in the direction of Capsule Corp. "We've got work to do"  
  
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A/NÂ Â Doncha just love a happy ending??? yes thats the end, i think, i might be tempted to do an epilouge ( i think thats what they're called) Ive just been finishing it off while watching dbz, ARRRGGG!!! cell just.. and Trunks, so sad, so anrgy at cell, ahh ive gotta go find a fork and maul something green, excuse me... 


	13. Epilouge

_************Epilogue**************___

"Bye Kaasan, take care" Trunks waved from the time machine

"Of course! You know me" Bulma waved back

"That's why I'm worried" Laughed Trunks, as he'd done before. The joke had stuck. Bulma stuck her hands on her hips and mock pouted, which was her line, then laughed back, "Stay as long as you want, there's nothing to worry about here anymore." Nothing except his mother, and Trunks knew in the depth of his heart she could take care of herself, she always had.

"I know, bye!" Trunks smiled, he was going to see Bra again! There was nothing to stop him smiling. He pushed a few buttons, and the Time Machine shot into the air, and vanished with just a faint disturbance of the air. Bulma watched the space for a few moment more, still smiling. After making sure he was good and gone, she turned to go inside. The reconstruction on Capsule Corp. had been a long process, the rebuilding of the city had taken even longer, and the world looked as if it would take years to return to its former glory, but they were getting there.

It was three years since the Androids and then Cell had been destroyed, three long years, and for Trunks 20th birthday -Bulma had insisted that two years in the Room of Spirit and time didn't count- she had dug out the time machine and re-energised it, and now Trunks was off to visit Bra in the future he had created. By Bulma's calculations Bra would be having her 18th birthday on the day Trunks arrived, and Bulma was never wrong.

****************

It was dark when Trunks landed and _'Bun'_ed the time machine back into its capsule. The Capsule Corp of the future was much bigger that that of the past, one with many added domes. All the lights in all the domes were out except for one, where balloons and streamers were illuminated by coloured lights, music and laughter came from inside that dome, and Trunks headed towards it. 

Inside, the music was louder, so was the smell of food, the stronger smell of drink and the warmer smell of people. The hallways were different to the ones he knew, and there were people in every room. Bra, it seemed, was pretty popular. Trunks entered a room filled with dancing teenagers, trying to spot Bra. A girl with red hair pressed up against him. She didn't even ask if he wanted to dance, she grabbed his waist and spun him around the room. Trunks wasn't used to this kind of treatment.

"Um" said Trunks, blushing "Do you know where Bra is?"

The girl looked insulted, and pointed over to a table, then went back to dancing. Trunks pushed his way through the crowd, turning down more invitations to dance as politely as he could, some of the girls were very persistent, and many of them had alcohol on their breath. The tightly packed group began to thin as he reached the table the girl had pointed at, and he saw Bra.

Four years had passed since she had last seen him, five for Trunks counting the two in the Time chamber, but he recognised her immediately.

"Bra" He came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, she turned round from her conversation with a dark haired girl her age.

"Yeah?" Bra asked, thinking for the first moment that this Trunks was the brother she had grown up with. Then she looked closed, her eyes opened wide and her mouth opened in surprise, a little squeaking noise came from her throat. Bra put her hand over her mouth, never taking her eyes off him. Through her fingers, she whispered "Are you who I think you are?" Although she already knew the answer. Trunks nodded, smiling from ear to ear, and Bra threw her arms round him. "You, oh, my, oh" Bra started, after pulling away, "I don't know what to ask first."

"Well there's plenty of time, I'm here indefinitely." Said Trunks. "So for now, let's just enjoy your party." 

Bra though this sounded like a wonderful idea.

"Yes. To tell you the truth, I don't think half of these people know me" Bra said, as someone bumped into her, saying 'happy birthday Pan' before grabbing a slice of cake. "See?" Bra gave him a wry smile, eyes laughing, Trunks nodded again, and they joined the party that lasted all night.

*****************

"Now" said Bra, the next day, dragging Trunks out of Bulma's way, who was on a cleaning rampage. "It was your birthday last night too, wasn't it?"

Trunks looked surprised "How did you know that?"

Bra smiled mysteriously "Well if I told you everything, life wouldn't be as fun." She grinned, she'd been doing a lot of that lately. "Anyway, I have a present for you, do you remember, years ago, in one of the Dreams, I gave you a flower chain?"

Trunks nodded "It's still fresh, I still have it" The chain of yellow -for happiness- flowers was kept safely on the desk in his room, it had not shown any signs of aging over the years.

"Well" Said Bra, pulling out something from behind her back "I have another for you" She pressed the chain into his hand, and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Its white, for Peace, may it last forever"

_*************************The End*************************_

There, I'm quite sure it's over now. The story has run it's course and it's very interested to see what you thought... 


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